Promise
by GinStan
Summary: Written for the 2019 Mirandy Spooktacular. Just a bit of ghost-y angst. It seemed to fit the mood of the season.


Promise

by Gin

Andrea Sachs-Priestly looked at the cards in her hand sullenly.

"C'mon, Andy." The dealer prompted. "It's your turn."

Nodding, She shrugged slightly and a chip landed in the middle of the table. "I'm in for five."

The other three players looked at each other and one spoke softly. "Andy... maybe you should go downstairs today?" They cringed back slightly at the look Andy shot at them. "Sorry, it's just..." They looked around the attic room they were sitting in. It was nice, basically a comfortable studio apartment, but Andy had been up here for days now. "I'm sure..."

"Leave it." Andy nearly growled. "You playing or what?"

"Fold." Cards dropped to the table and the chair nearly tipped over as they left the table.

Andy looked to the next player. "You?"

"Raise ten." Speaking nearly as softly as their friend had. "He's right you know."

Dark eyes focused on him for a long moment. It seemed as if she was about to say something when footsteps on the stairs broke the silence. Andy sighed, knowing who had to be creating the sound. Miranda. She didn't come up here much, the stairs were steep, and narrow, it was one reason Andy came here. Her gaze shifted as the door opened, outlining Miranda in light. Her light blue eyes scanned the room, stopping at the table strewn with cards. The muscles in her jaw tensed for a moment then she spoke, her tone a gentle, almost pleading.

"The girls are coming for dinner tonight. Caroline is bringing Aurora." When this information was met with silence, Miranda took a deep breath and continued in what was clearly the no nonsense 'Dragon' voice. "You will come downstairs tonight and join us."

Andy's nostril's flared. "Miranda." She watched the sky blue eyes close as the name floated between them. "Don't set a plate for me." The eyes opened, hurt clearly showing and Andy relented. "It bothers the girls when you do." She agreed to part of the request. "I'll come to the playroom, after."

Obviously holding back tears, Miranda nodded once then left the room without another word.

###

Caroline wiped her mouth and spoke to her daughter, "Can you tell Mimi thank you for dinner?"

The little girl looked up past the red lock of hair that fell in front of her forehead, her bright blue eyes locking on her grandmother. "Thank you, Mimi."

"You are welcome, Sweetheart." Miranda smiled at the child. "Ready to go play for a while?"

"Yes!" Practically jumping out of her chair, the child headed for the stairs.

Caroline called after her enthusiastic offspring."Wash your hands and face!"

"Okay, Mommy!" They all heard the child detour to the bathroom and Caroline rolled her eyes when the water ran for approximately two seconds. She shared a chuckle with the others, then met her sister's eyes and nodded, turning to a more serious subject. "Mom..."

"Don't." Miranda warned.

"Dammit, Mom!" Cassidy blurted. "You can't keep on like this!"

"Language!" Miranda glared at her children.

"We're adults, Mom!" Cassidy shook her head. "I'm sorry. We're just worried about you."

"I'm fine." Miranda rose from her seat. "Let's go see what Aurora has gotten into."

They watched her leave and spoke to each other for a moment. Caroline glanced in the direction of what had been Miranda's office but in later years, after her retirement, had been reconfigured with floor to ceiling shelving to create a small but well stocked library. "Did you see?"

"Yeah. All the occult books are back." Cassidy crossed her arms and rubbed her own biceps. "Is she losing it?"

"I dunno. At least there wasn't an extra place setting this time." Caroline sighed. "C'mon. Maybe we can talk to her a little more while Rori plays."

They trudged upstairs to find the child quietly playing a game of Candy Land at the tiny table set up for Rori to play various games. Miranda was watching closely from a nearby chair as the child drew a card and moved her gingerbread man to the color shown, then looked across the table and smiled before drawing another card and then moving a second piece to the color indicated.

"Sweetie." Caroline shook her head. "Why don't you play something else? It's hard to play Candy Land by yourself."

Rori blinked, but just shook her head and kept playing.

Caroline decided to just let the child play while she and Cassidy tried to coax their mother out of the house. "There's a Coco Chanel exhibit at the Met." Caroline tried. "I was hoping you could come with Rori and me to see it." Miranda's gaze held no interest in the event whatsoever and the small shake of her head confirmed that they would be attending the exhibit on their own. "Mom... you can't stay in this house all the time." Rori's exuberant outburst drew their attention.

"I win!" The child stood up and did a little dance, proclaiming. "I win.. I win..."

Caroline watched the child do the dance her Grandma Andy had taught her whenever she won a game. She glanced at the oddly indulgent expression on her mother's face then turned back to watch the child for a moment.

Rori laughed and then, finished with her winner dance, began to put the game away. After carefully stowing the cards and pieces in the box, she climbed the small set of rolling steps and carefully put it away on the top shelf. Now she was digging into the huge tub of lettered blocks sitting on the floor next to the shelves and beginning to build what looked like a castle tower. Caroline knew there were probably enough blocks to make a structure at least as tall as Rori herself and turned back to the conversation at hand, leaving the child happily building. She was about to continue the conversation with Miranda when Miranda spoke.

"I know you want me to sell the house, I know you want to put me in some assisted living facility. I won't go. You can't make me." She turned pleading eyes on her children who both looked chagrined. "I'm not going senile. I'm not going crazy." Miranda turned back to watch the youngest Priestly-Sachs playing contentedly. "She's here. She won't leave me, she promised me that she wouldn't leave me again and I won't leave her."

"Mom." Cassidy sighed. "We know there are a lot of memories here..."

"No. Not memories." Miranda insisted. "She's here. Just like she promised."

Caroline tried. "We worry about you, Mom." She broached a subject that was nearly forbidden in this house. "We know you loved her..."

"I love her." Miranda's eyes never left little Rori and the figure of the woman playing with her. "And I will forever." She returned the soft smile the dark haired figure flashed at her while putting a block in place. "She's here."

"Mom!" Cassidy ran her fingers through her hair. "You can't be saying things like that."

"Aurora." Miranda gestured for the child to join them on the couch. She wrapped her arms around the little girl as she climbed up into her lap. "Tell Mimi who you have been playing with."

Rori laughed and pointed toward the play corner. "Grandma Andy... Grandma Andy!"

Caroline spoke sharply. "Rori!"

"She's telling the truth, Caroline." Miranda assured her daughters. "I'm sorry you can't see her too. I had to beg her to be here tonight. She has been angry with me." Miranda admitted. "This is the first time I've seen her in a few days."

It was the sadness in Miranda's voice that made both her daughters decide to go along with their mother's delusion for a moment, Cassidy went with the next logical question. "Why?" Cassidy waited for Miranda to release the child back to play and saw the contrite look on her mother's face, suddenly not sure she wanted to know the answer. Suddenly sure she knew the answer. "You tried to..."

Miranda's eyes closed.

Caroline gasped. "Mother, no."

Blue eyes opened to gaze across the room. "I do miss her so."

Andy sighed and spoke, "Miranda."

Miranda saw Rori look up at her departed grandma and both Cassidy and Caroline shuddered while rubbing the hair on their arms that had stood up, but Miranda simply closed her eyes to let the ethereal voice move through her. At her daughters gasps, she opened them.

"Mother, you're crying." Caroline only saw the tears spilling down Miranda's cheeks. Of course, she had seen that before, more lately than usual, but it was always surprising.

Miranda sniffled and tried to clear her vision. She knew neither of her daughters could see what she was seeing, but that was okay. Andrea was standing in front of her and she didn't want to miss a moment of it. She took a deep breath as the mostly transparent vision knelt and reached out, ghostly fingers tracing tears down her lined face.

"Please don't cry. I'm right here." Andy concentrated and solidified her hand slightly, cupping Miranda's cheek in it. "I'm not going anywhere." When Miranda moved into the touch, Andy's concentration was broken and her hand passed through Miranda's face. She ground her non-existent teeth together. It was so difficult to do that. She'd been practicing but even moving the blocks with Rori had been exhausting. Now this little bit to touch Miranda made her fade slightly. "I don't have anywhere else I want to be." Caroline's terrified voice cut through their emotional moment.

"Rori!"

Andy spun around to see her beloved granddaughter standing tiptoed on the top step of the portable steps, trying to put a block at the very top of the tall structure she had created. They all watched as the child overbalanced and began to topple forward onto the hard blocks. It was as if time had slowed down when, in fact, Andrea was moving extremely fast. Diving into the blocks and coming up through the middle of them Andrea solidified her arms, scattering some of the blocks, catching the child before she fell and did damage to herself. Steadying her securely on the top step with Rori's back to the adults in the room, Andy tapped the little girl's nose and whispered. "Be careful, Little Princess." By that time she had faded nearly completely and Caroline had crossed the room. She scooped her daughter up hugging her tightly.

"Are you okay, Rori?" She laughed in relief when the child nodded indicating that she was fine. "You scared me."

"Grandma Andy saved me." Rori giggled and pointed to the pile of blocks.

Caroline's lips pressed together tightly before she raised her voice, "Rori!"

"Caroline!" Miranda met her daughter's gaze. "Do not yell at her. She's only a child." Miranda smiled softly at her granddaughter. "She's only taking after me."

Caroline sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know." With a warning to be careful, Caroline let her down and hugged her.

Miranda's heart warmed when Rori wiggled free from her mother's embrace to turn and play with her beloved Grandma Andy. It made her a little sad that neither Caroline nor Cassidy could see what she saw.

###

Miranda was just finishing her nightly routine when the whispering voice echoed slightly on the bathroom walls.

"Miranda..."

Miranda smiled at her reflection and the misty form it showed behind her. "Hello, my love." She turned to face the spirit. "Are you still angry at me?" There was a long pause, enough to worry Miranda before the answer floated through the air.

"No."

Miranda settled into bed aware that she was still on 'her' side of the bed. Facing away from Andrea's 'side' of the bed she still spoke to her late wife. "I miss you."

"Mmm..." Andy took her place as the big spoon, curling herself around Miranda, concentrating on solidifying not just her arms, all of her. "I'm right here."

Taking a shuddering breath, Miranda closed her eyes to bask in the embrace. The comfort of it allowed her to drift off to sleep as Andrea's voice floated around her.

"I promise. I'll always be here."

End

9/26/19


End file.
